What's In A Name?
by aurora-inked
Summary: The funny thing about the press is, they have a tendency to forget names.


Elphaba had been called many names in her life.

Elphaba.

Fabala, (her mother's teasing nickname for her before she'd died)

Elphie.

Fae.

But once she'd rebelled, once she defied gravity (and everything that came along with it), she lost those names … and became the Wicked Witch of the West.

THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST STRIKES AGAIN

THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST … WHERE IS SHE?

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO ESCAPE THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST

Why didn't anyone realize that one wasn't born wicked, and people definitely weren't born flying through the air on a broom, rescuing Animals? The Animals called her Lady Fabala, and she never allowed anyone else to call her Elphie … Or Fae.

Never Elphaba Thropp. Never had the populace once thought that the Wicked Witch had a name.

* * *

Nessarose.

Nessa. Rose.

Nessa.

Lots of people knew her as a child – Pale, delicate, gentle. They'd fawned over her as she was brought in on a little wheelchair, so small, so tragically beautiful.

_Poor dear … with no mother. _

Once she became Governor, though, things changed. She had been desperate to keep Boq with her; Elphaba had just rebelled (did that really happen?) and vanished without a trace, Father had just died, and it seemed that anyone that had ever protected her had left.

_All my life I've depended on you, how do you think that feels?_

An rebel Munchkin paper had called her the "Wicked Witch of the East", a startling parallel to her sister, even though they didn't even know that the Wicked Witch of the West _was_ her sister. She had shut down that printing company and banished each one of them; but still, the name stuck and spread.

The Wicked Witch of the East.

The Governor of Munchkinland.

Never Nessarose. Never Nessa.

* * *

The Tin Man had a name, you know.

It was once Boq, commonly mispronounced as Bick, and he'd lost it when the Wicked Witch had transformed his skin into steel and his heart into an empty compartment.

Part of him still vaguely remembered the blinding pain of his heart as it constricted and twisted, making the air to leave his body and his vision to dance with spots. He'd blacked out after that, and woke up as the Tin Man. Afterwards, he'd thought of nothing but finding the Witch and _making_ her reverse the spell. Not even Nessa's screams had stopped him.

Back at Oz, no one remembered Boq the Munckin, Shenshen and Pfannee, both secretaries for high-ranking officials in the Emerald City, had met him and Dorothy without a single shred of recognition. They'd murmured their sympathies and shook their hands, giving them luck in eliminating the Wicked Witch.

Boq was gone now. In his place was the Tin Man.

* * *

Fiyero was a holder of titles.

Prince of the Vinkus.

Hunter of the Thousand-Year Grasslands.

Boyfriend, and later fiancé of Galinda (or simply known as Glinda the Good).

There was once someone who called him Fiyero … just Fiyero. Once she'd left, "just Fiyero" had disappeared with her, and he'd once again become Fiyero the Perfect Boyfriend, and later Prince Fiyero, Captain of the Gale Force.

He'd never hated a title as much as he hated that one.

* * *

This may be cause for incredulousity, but few remembered that Glinda the Good was once simply known as Galinda Uplands of the Upper Uplands (Upper, thank you very much).

Of course, her family still called her Galinda, or 'Linda at times, but once she'd assumed the post beside the Wizard's side, their letters had become increasingly deferential and formal. It didn't help that she rarely found time to make it back to the Gilikins, except for the occasional baptism of her new nephew or niece.

Salinda was happily married with three kids. Malinda's first was on the way. Lorien was now a distant memory, and Galinda barely remembered how she looked like now, never mind the Lurlinemas or birthday cards that arrived once in a while.

People bowed, people smiled and people called her Glinda the Good.

* * *

A/N: Something that popped into my head in the early morning as I headed for school ... I had my laptop with me and instantly started typing.

This is a small taster of what's going to be my second large project, which is what happens after Defying Gravity. For those who love intermission fic, I guess that'll be for you :)

Please R&R! And for those who just saw this, don't forget to check out my other fanfic, mostly _Wicked: The Untold Story_.


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